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Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Bison Meatballs

I think I’m in love. With a few things really. These meatballs. And this Orange Coconut Omelet. Let me tell you about this omelet. It’s like a crepe, fluffy and light. And it has been my favorite addition to my life during Whole30. Not that I wouldn’t have eaten it before, but I did all kinds of Whole30 recipe research and happened upon one of my favorite Pinterest pins to date!

I plan on trying it tomorrow with cinnamon instead of orange zest! Mmm. Anyway, we’re really here for the Bison Meatballs, and I’m also in love with those. I have made meatballs, but have never tried my own recipe and I think these were a definite success! Not to mention, I got to use my new cast iron skillet. Another new love.

I’m just full of love these days I guess! I was especially excited that these stayed together. I wanted to try and make a meatball without any kind of flour OR eggs. They successfully stayed together and are probably some of the most flavorful meatballs I’ve ever had.

These babies are the secret ingredient. You MUST get the kind in olive oil. Not the kind in the bag, and please don’t buy any in canola oil. You want the moisture and the fat from the olive oil, since bison is pretty lean!

These of course are delicious over some spaghetti squash and with a touch of tomato sauce. I’ll tell you about those after the recipe!

In a medium sized skillet heat 1 tbsp or so of bacon grease, add your mushrooms and onions and sauté until cooked through. Measure out about 3/4 cup and throw them in a large bowl. If you are making homemade sauce, throw the rest in the pot/crockpot! If not, save the leftovers for an omelet. 🙂

Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl (except the bacon grease)! Here’s where you have a choice: get your hands dirty or try and play it safe and clean. Let’s be real, you know they will taste better if you get your hands in there and combine all the ingredients REALLY well!

Heat your remaining bacon grease on the skillet. Roll your meat into balls. There should be enough for 16 small-medium sized meatballs. Pan fry them for about 15 minutes, rotating every 3-5 minutes. They should be browned on all sides.

Serve with spaghetti squash and sauce and enjoy!

Easy Semi-Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

I start with these two ingredients.

Throw them in the crockpot! I like a lot of garlic, so I think I added 3-4 tablespoons of crushed garlic. I also added about 1 tbsp of dried basil. I then added the leftover mushrooms and onions, as well as the remaining tomato paste for a thicker sauce and set the crockpot to low for about 3-4 hours. I like to start with the organic (nothing added) tomato sauce because it takes a little less time than using tomatoes, but it’s a much better option than expensive jarred spaghetti sauce with a lot of ingredients. If your tomato sauce does not have added salt, go ahead and add some sea salt.

Spaghetti Squash

Preheat the oven to 400. Now if you have great knives and great strength, cut that baby in half right away. This squash was huge and needed a little time in the microwave before I could cut it open.

After you get her open, scoop out the seeds and place both sides rind side down in a baking dish in about 1/2-1 inch of water. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until tender. Allow the squash to cool for a bit, then take a fork to it and scrape and pull the sides until you have everything out. Toss in some olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper! Serve with your meatballs and your sauce!

Enjoy!

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